Liberal Arts: a Self Designed Program
The idea of a liberal arts education implies a course of study that involves self-enlightenment, self-cultivation, and the honing of one’s critical faculties. The Liberal Arts major at Lang puts this idea into practice. A Liberal Arts major brings together themes, methods, and questions that from across the Lang curriculum in a self-reflexive and challenging intellectual project.
The student interested in building a self-designed program around a particular theme or area of inquiry writes a proposal for a personal path of study for submission to the chair of Liberal Arts. The proposal must indicates the theme(s) or subjects to be studied, the intellectual rationale, the probable selection of courses, and a detailed narrative of how the suggested courses build upon the theme(s). Once the path statement is final and approved by the chair of the department, it becomes the student's Liberal Arts curriculum. Students are strongly advised to consult with the chair of Liberal Arts
in advance, before proposing a path of study.
Normally, the path of study statement must be approved by the chair of Liberal Arts no later than the second semester of the sophomore year. Junior transfer students must have path statements approved during their first semester in residence.
Guided Area of Study in Social Inquiry
As an alternative to the self-designed program, declared Liberal Arts majors can opt to pursue a guided area of study in Social Inquiry, for which a curriculum is preestablished.
Please note: Students are advised to refer to the current applicable program catalog for degree completion requirements and to confirm their progress in satisfying those requirements with their advisors.
